Our clinic team handles all sorts of surprises, from broken bones to itchy situations like this- a severe mite infestation! These tiny pests can cause intense irritation, feather damage, and even lead to anemia if left untreated.
Owls can pick up mites from the animals they hunt, infested nests or roosts, or when their immune system is weakened due to stress or illness. Once mites take hold, they can multiply quickly, making it harder for the owl to hunt, stay warm, and thrive.
A little reminder that wildlife care means rolling up our sleeves for all the challenges-no matter how big or tiny!
Response from the comments on how they are treated:
We have medications to treat mites and other parasites. This video was taken after we treated the owl, and all the mites were starting to come to the surface.
Gotta go for the toque for that Canadian cred!
The rescue near me just opened up a shop too with lots of great stuff available in many colors and sizes! They got hoodies, sweatshirts, ladies/kids sizes, black or white printing. It's really impressive! Here are the owl designs, GHO and Saw Whet. They've got other animals too.